NASA has selected 40 undergraduate students for the first year of its Europa ICONS (Inspiring Clipper: Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists) internship program, supporting the agency’s Europa Clipper mission. Europa ICONS matches students with mentors from the mission’s science team for a 10-week program to conduct original scientific research on topics related to the mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa.

San Diego Mesa College Alumnus Mario Romero made history as part of a team from Intuitive Machines’ whose uncrewed lander made history Thursday as the first privately owned spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface. It was also the first U.S. vehicle to accomplish this in more than 50 years. After four years of preparations, the company’s 14-foot-tall Nova-C lander navigated to a spot near the moon’s South Pole. It was the 24th mission to softly land on the moon since 1966. And with it comes a new era of exploration.

The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) named Mesa's Computer Information Science program is now a Verified Program of Computing Talent! Programs were verified as part of a rigorous evaluation process led by Advancing San Diego, the flagship program of EDC's Talent Initiatives, which serves to double the production of skilled workers in San Diego while prioritizing historically underrepresented populations in the innovation economy.

San Diego Mesa College student, Jason Compy, is expected to graduate Pre-med this spring majoring in Bio Chemistry. Jason hopes to attend USC, but has already been accepted to UCLA. So, he plans to become a Bruin or a Trojan this fall. With graduation around the corner, Jason reflects on the many obstacles he has overcome on his journey through life.

On July 23, 2020, San Diego Mesa College’s Teacher Education Pathways Program was honored with a League for Innovation’s 2019-2020 Innovation of the Year Award. The Mesa Teacher Education Program (Program) and the recognition via this award, positions Mesa as one of the premiere colleges for aspiring teachers, and prepares the next generation of educators to bring necessary racial and gender diversity to the current teacher work force. The Program was awarded, in part, not only because of the focus on diversity, but because it also offers free tutoring, smaller classes, stipends and a direct path to earning a Bachelor’s degree - all to help ensure student success.

As a new full-time hire in the Biology Department, Professor Daniela Bruckman is bringing fresh eyes to the general biology curriculum. When she taught Biology 210B: Introduction to the Biological Sciences II during her first semester at Mesa, she referred to a lab manual published by a previous instructor to create her lesson plans. Today, she conducts her classes with new lab material that she created as part of a grant-funded initiative to close equity gaps in the life sciences.

On January 23, 2020, San Diego Mesa College student Hanan Dirirsa was announced as a semifinalist for the selective Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, the nation’s largest private scholarship for transfer students. The scholarship supports select high-achieving community college students with up to $40,000 annually for a maximum of three years as they complete their bachelor’s degree at a four-year university or college.

With the passing of each academic year, Mesa College continues to be honored by the academic and professional achievements of our past and present Olympians. Those include the merits and accolades of our developing scientists in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program, which supports scholars from historically underrepresented backgrounds as they plan to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree in biomedical or behavioral science.